Method of making bicycle handle-bar heads.



' Patented Aug. 2|, I900.

J. P. SCHDWALTER, G. A. RDSENBAUER &. J. MIDTKE.

METHOD OF MAKING BICYCLE HA NDLE BAR HEADS. (Application filed July 13,1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 656,482. Patented Aug. 2|, I900.

'J. P. SCHOWALTER, G. A. ROSENBAUER & J. MIOTKE. METHOD-0F MAKINGBICYCLE HANDLE BAR HEADS.

(Application filed July 13, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheais$heet 2.

m5 NORRIS mans co Puma-urns" WASHINGYGN. a. c.

JOSEPH P. SOHOWALTER, GEORGE A.

PATENT -FFICE.'

ROSENBAUER, AND JOSEPH MIOTKE,

OF MILWAUKEE, \VISCONSIN, ASSIGNORS TO THE SANGER HANDLE BAR AND PLATINGCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

METHOD OF MAKING BICYCLE HANDLE-BAR HEADS.

srnorrxcarron forming part of Letters Yatent No. 656,482, dated August21, 1900.

Application filed July 13, 1899- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that We, J osErH P. SCHOWAL- TER, GEORGE A. ROSENBAUER, and'JosEPH' MIOTKE, citizens of the United States, and

residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Mil-' Waukee and State ofWisconsin,have invented certain newand usefullmprovements in Methods ofMaking Bicycle Handle-Bar Heads; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a IO full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention has for its object to cheapen the production and tostrengthen the heads of that type of bicycle handle-bars having the gripmembers thereof adjustable on separate pivots, such as shown inapplication, Serial No.702,6'77,filed January 19,1899, (nowPatent No.634,505, dated October 10, 1899,) said invention consisting in ourmethod of making the heads from blanks of peculiar construction, ashereinafter particularly set forth with reference to the accompanyingdrawings and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents an elevation of a portion of afinished handle-bar,

partly broken and in section, its head being in accordance with ourinvention; Fig. 2, a horizontal section on the plane indicated by line 22 in the preceding figure; Fig. 3, a plan view of a flat sheet-steelblank from which the head portion of our handle-bar is fashioned; Fig.3", an end view of the blank; Fig. 4, a plan view of the inside of theheadpiece after the same has been subjected to a stamping operation;Fig. 45, an end view of what is shown in the preceding figure; Fig. 5,another plan View of the inside of said headpiece after subjection toanother stamping operation; Fig. 5, an end view of what is shown in thepreceding figure; Fig. 6, an

0 outside plan view of the aforesaid headpiece at that stage of itsmanufacture shown by Figs. 5 and 5 Figs. 7 and 8, sectional views of thefinished head on the plane indicated by line 7 8 in the succeedingfigure, and Fig.

9 a partly-sectional end view of said finished head.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates the angular shell thatconstitutes the central head of a finished bicycle handle-bar,

the depending annular stem 11 of which is Serial No. 723,665. (Nomodel.)

brazed in a corresponding tube ]3, herein shown as having longitudinalkerfs c at intervals circumferentially of its lower end, said stem andtube constituting the handle bar shank designed forvertically-adjustable connection'with the steering-fork shank of abicycle. Arranged to turn in the head A,central thereof, we show an adjusting-rod D for an inside expander fitting the kerfed lower end of theaforesaid shank, the upper end of the rod being squared to accommodate awrench and provided with a stop-flange cl, that rests upon the top ofsaid head. A pairof geartoothed rounded inner ends g of handle-bar gripmembers G are shown arranged on a 65 corresponding pairof pivot-bolts I,within head A, to mesh with each other, and the toothed face extremitiesof the grip members are peripherally grooved to afford clearance for theexpander -adjusting rod D, above specified. The head of each pivot-boltI is of angular contour and fits sung in a corresponding aperture in aside of the head A, the flat inner face of the bolt-head being parallelwith and againstaside of the rounded toothed end of the correspondinggrip member of the handle-bar. By having their heads in angular fit inthe head A the pivot-bolts I are held against turning. The toothed endof each grip member G has that side thereof farthest from the head ofits pivot-bolt provided with a circular series of radial wedge-ribs, andthis ribbed surface meshes with a similar inner surface of thehandle-bar head. Washers p and clamp nuts L engage the pivot boltsoutside the head A, and by loosening the nuts slack is had to permitdisengagement of the opposing wedge-rib surfaces, so that the gripmembers G may be readily adjusted to various angles, said grip membersturning together in said head on said pivotbolts. The adjustment havingbeen efiected, tightening of the loosened nuts will cause lockingtogether of the opposing wedge-rib surfaces, above specified, tomaintain the 95 grip members in adj usted position, the handie-bar beingthen rigid at all points.

In practice the metal in the toothed ends of the grip members and ribbedportion of the head A is made considerably harder than that in theremainder of said grip members and head to obtain the best results.

The finished head is the result of a number of operations subsequent tothose necessary to obtain a flat sheet-steel blank similar to that shownby Figs. 3 and 3 this blank having a narrow central portion and narrowedends provided with opposite lateral ears, the widest portions of saidblank being preferably rounded at their extremities. This blank is anarticle complete in itself, so as to be the subject of separatemanufacture and sale as the product of one concern for the use of otherconcerns employedin themanufacture of bicycle handle-bars similar to theone herein set forth, and in practice it will be found advantageous tomake the manufacture of the head-blanks a separate industry. The blankis first subjected to a stamping operation by which its narrowed ends a"and opposite-lateral ears 3 are struck up to stand as shown in Figs. 4and 4. By another stamping operation the inturned ears .9 of theheadpiece, now at approximately right angles to the widest portions ofsaid headpiece, are swaged down flush with the longitudinal edges of thenow half-round ends 0" of the same to form angular shoulders 25, asshown in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive,after which the bolt-apertures u o andthe circular series of radial wedge-ribs w are punched in the aforesaidheadpiece. The wedge-rib portion of the headpiece is subsequentlyhardened and said headpiece bent so as to form the angular shell shownby Fig. 9. The narrow central portion of the headpiece becomes theangular top of the shell parallel with the now horizontalangularlyshouldered portions of said headpiece brought together to formits apertured bottom, from which depends the annular stem 19, that isbrazed in the tube 13, above specified, said stem being formed by themeet ing of the half-round ends of the aforesaid headpiece, as seen inFig. 9. If the head is to be utilized as part of a handle-bar providedwith an inside expander, an aperture is punched in the top of said headto accommodate the expander-adjusting rod.

The top and bottom of the finished head being of less length than itssides and having their extremities on the same vertical planes, thenecessary play-space is bad for pivotal adjustmentof the meshing toothedends of the handlebar-grip members. By swaging back the inturned ears 8of the headpiece subsequent to the operation by which theabove-described blank headpiece is formed, similar to the'illustrations,Figs. 4 and 4;, thereris a. compression of the metal and strengtheningof the finished head at what has been found the weakest points of samewhen made by casting.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

A method of making a bicycle handle-bar head from a primarily-flatsheet-steel blank or headpiece having a central narrow portion, narrowends and ears extending laterally in opposite directions from said endadjacent to the widest portions of the headpiece; said method consistingin first striking up the ends and ears of the headpiece to a half-round,then swaging the ears back flush with the longitudinal edges of the nowhalfround ends to form angular shoulders, thereafter punching the widestportions of the headpiece to form bolt-apertures and circushell, thehalf-round ends of the headpiece,

meeting to form a split stem depending from said bottom, and the widestportions of said headpiece being parallel vertical sides of said shellwith the aforesaid ribs upon the inner surface of one of said sides.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands,at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH P. SCHOWALTER. GEORGE A. ROSENBAUER. JOSEPH MIOTKE.

\Vitnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, F. G. SoHowALTER.

